Canisius Defeats Manhattan, 11-2, in 2008 MAAC Men's Lacrosse Semifinal
MAAC Sports
Loudonville, N.Y. ? Second-seeded Canisius College advanced to the championship game with an 11-2 victory over third-seeded Manhattan College in the second semifinal game of the 2008 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship at Siena Field on the campus of Siena College.
Adam Jones began the scoring offense for the Golden Griffins, netting the lone goal of the first quarter at the 5:45 mark.
Less than three minutes into the second quarter, Michael Blocho scored a goal, assisted by Tom Hensel, to put Canisius ahead, 2-0. Michael Llewellyn then made it a one-point game for Manhattan as he netted shot from Brian Wynne with 8:49 remaining in the half. Canisius responded with two quick back-to-back goals from Jones and Brandon Martin to move the Griffs ahead, 4-1.
Canisius was the first to score in the second half as Alex Caldiero found the back of the net with just over three minutes off the game clock into the third quarter. Manhattan’s Salvatore Spatarella netted a shot for the Jaspers with 9:44 remaining to make it a 5-2 game. Hensel moved the Griffs ahead, 6-2, netting his 15th goal of the season at the 6:19 mark. With 5:03 remaining in the stanza, Jones recorded his third score of the day to give Canisius a 7-2 lead. The Griffs jumped to an 8-2 lead as Rookie of the Year Nick LoCoco registered his first goal of the day, aided by John Minieri, with 1:53 left in the third quarter.
The Golden Griffins continued their offensive effort, as LoCoco netted his second goal of the day with just over 10 minutes left in the contest. Blocho netted another shot at the 6:37 mark to give his squad an eight-goal lead (10-2). Canisius’ Ross then scored his first goal of the contest at the 7:47 mark to bring the Golden Griffins within one once more. With just 55 seconds left in regulation, Dan McAuliffe capitalized on a pass from Matt Barkas to give the Griffs an 11-2 win.
Chris Courteau recorded 10 saves for Canisius, while John Geagan posted for six stops for Manhattan.
Canisius will play the Virginia Military Institute in the championship game on Sunday, May 4, at 1:00 p.m. The winner of the championship game will earn the league’s automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. The NCAA bracket will be announced live on ESPNU between 9:00-10:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4.
Recap:
Manhattan (6-9, 5-3 MAAC) 0 1 1 0 -- 2
Canisius (9-5, 7-1 MAAC) 1 3 4 3 -- 11
Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Canisius ? Adam Jones (3-0), Nick LoCoco (2-0), Michael Blocho (2-0), Tom Hensel (1-2), Brandon Martin (1-0), Alex Caldiero (1-0), Dan McAuliffe (1-0), Dan Coates (0-1), John Minieri (0-1), Matt Barkas (0-1)
Manhattan ? Michael Llewellyn (1-0), Salvatore Spatarella (1-0), Brian Wynne (0-1)
Saves: Canisius ? Chris Courteau 10; Manhattan ? John Geagan 6
Shots: Canisius 28, Manhattan 27
Shots on Goal: Canisius 17, Manhattan 12
Groundballs: Canisius 34, Manhattan 33
Turnovers: Manhattan 22, Canisius 19